The Origin of The Joker and his Accomplice Harley Quinn
by PBMeloonyGTS
Summary: I feel the title is pretty self-explanatory really... Basically though the story starts when they're teenagers and follows their evolution into the characters that fit into Christopher Nolan's movie-verse - or at least that's what we're aiming for. Rating may change.
1. Chapter 1

_If you need any help imagining the characters, here's who I'm basing them on:_

_Jack - Heath Ledger_

_Harley - I genuinely can't cast this girl, I'm sorry, but I know how I get if someone says someone I can't see in the part. So any pretty blonde you feel fits the description really._

_Poppy - Ksenia Solo (from lost girl - which I've only seen parts of to be honest)_

_Dan - Robert Sheehan (in all his Mistfits glory)_

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><p><span>The Origin of The Joker and his Accomplice Harley Quinn:<span>

Chapter I:

Not many people know that the birth name of Harley Quinn is actually Haley Quain, and not Harleen Quinzell.

Haley was born into the life of a comfortable townhouse in the suburbs of Metropolis, her loving parents doting on her happily for the first year of her life until her father's second family in Massachusetts was discovered and he left Haley's mother at seven months pregnant for the other woman. Kristen was left obviously devastated, and, with no income as the non-working housewife of a man on a comfortable salary in advertising, she was also left penniless. There was no divorce pay-out as their marriage had essentially been non-legitimate from the start as _she_ was actually the 'second' wife, and she didn't have the money to get a lawyer to fight for the money to keep the kids. So Kristen had to downsize to a grotty one bedroom apartment in the neighbouring city of Gotham, not able to get a job in the last few months of her pregnancy and not being able to get a loan from the bank due to no income (and therefore no way to pay it back) she resorted to getting a loan from her landlord – the same man she already owed the rent to.

After the birth of Haley's brother, James, Kristen had to then pay for a babysitter and day care while she went job hunting and eventually got a waitressing job and another as the secretary of a top lawyer in the city. Clearly her only real resume being her looks and measurements.

Kristen enrolled both her children into Kindergarten at the same time saying James was Haley's fraternal twin, making him 15 months older than he actually was, as he was large for his age, so that she no longer needed to pay day care. By the time Haley was six and the 'twins' were in their second year of kindergarten, Kristen's debts were starting to catch up with her, after having to turn to her hot-shot lawyer boss to pay off the land-lord, he wanted payment in pleasure, to which he ended up taking by force. Kristen then quit her newly-promoted job as his personal assistant, no longer able to be in the man's vicinity; which also meant losing the largest chunk of her income, and consequently having to take on another two jobs to make up the loss as the rent prices continued to hike. Not being able to juggle having to be on opposite sides of the city at the same time with her constantly overlapping work routers and having to be home in time to send the babysitter home Kristen then lost those two newer jobs. She turned to progressively seedier and seedier joints to get work and by this time 'the twins' were in third grade.

Kristen became better known by her work names 'Chrissy' and 'Cherry' depending on where she was for the night. Her problems only mounting when it is suggested that James get a tutor outside of school as he was struggling academically and progressively falling behind; while it was similarly 'suggested' that Haley be enrolled in some sort of gymnastics team, she had showed promise in the only one gym lesson the school had loaned the equipment and many of Haley's teachers had commented on separate occasions that she try some recreational outlet as she got more restless and distracted in lessons.

Kristen takes to quitting her reliable waitressing job at the diner round the corner, who'd been there for her from the start and where many of her friends knew her story and were supportive; to take on full time employment at the Iceberg Lounge where the wage was higher and the tips were better for right amount of flesh...

By thirteen, now in the eighth grade and last of middle school, Haley had taken over the babysitting duties of herself and the eleven/twelve year old James. By their first year in high school Haley had to exchange gymnastics in favour of a part time job at the same diner her mom had used to work for round the corner. They had had to move to a two bedroom apartment further into the narrows when Haley and James began to reach that age a while ago when things started to change and a boy and girl of slightly different ages can no longer share a bed or room.

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><p>Haley was working the night shift tonight in the diner under the huge neon 'Donnie's Family Diner' sign. Her best friend, Poppy; a girl whose shift she was currently covering while she gallivanted off with whoever the love of this month was; was the niece of the owner – probably the only reason the airhead could keep the damned job. Poppy was flirty and excitable, and weirdly philosophical at times when she wasn't being incredibly childish in ways Haley had never been able to be. Her aim in life was to try and do a little bit of <em>everything<em> apparently; she was a short skinny little thing, with long black hair and constantly glazed grey eyes and a heart shaped face, she was pretty and dreamy looking, her thin limbs had a clumsy grace to them that was odd and easy to miss. Many times Haley had wondered how and why they were friends; they weren't exactly polar opposites but they still didn't have anything particularly in common.

While Poppy was pixie sized, Haley was of average height. She was curvy and toned and looked longer than she was, her gymnastics hadn't given her grace or elegance but certainly a steady pair of feet and good balance. She was strong and solid - but not in physique. Poppy's dark horse, she liked to say, her secret weapon, the one no one expected in a fight. Haley had inherited her mother's devastating crestfallen-angel type looks; the wide cerulean blue eyes, perfectly shaped brows and long thick dark lashes made her eyes the feature of her face, but her high cheekbones, perfect nose and plump attractively shaped mouth made every aspect of her as beautiful to look at as the last. She had long blonde hair to halfway down her upper arm and sometimes had slight waves in it if she couldn't be bothered to properly dry it – (basically just the definition of physical perfection in a woman – another thing Poppy liked to comment upon, though not in as jovial a tone)

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><p>So Haley's in the diner, she's chatting animatedly with Todd the chef guy about what it would be like if a zombie apocalypse actually happened when she hears a scream. A scream she happens to know well in fact. <em>Poppy.<em> Haley is almost immediately up and gone. Whoever is making Poppy make that noise is not going to be recognisable tomorrow. '_Unless they're really big..._'

She sees Poppy. Her Puppy at the end of an alley, she'd probably been coming back to tell Haley about whatever mysterious and beautiful man she'd met tonight. That's when she sees this guy grabbing at parts of her friend that it is clear Poppy doesn't really want touching right now. She has tears running down her face and she's screaming bloody murder. Haley briefly registers that it might be a really long loud drawn out screech of her own name but she's already diving at them. She's not sure what she'd going to do when she lands but she knows pain is inevitable and can only hope it isn't hers or Poppy's. She kicks the guy in the side, he is knocked away from Poppy, who runs immediately towards Haley, who briefly hugs her before pushing her to run ahead immediately going to follow but she is grabbed by the huge hulking man. He has a strong stench of alcohol on him, he is _angry_. _Crap._

"You'll do" he growls and chucks her at the wall, she sees Poppy notice she's not behind her anymore and turning back towards her but Haley just yells for her to go, Poppy's useless in any kind of fight anyway, she'd just be a hindrance. Run. '_Run you stupid girl'_ when she does Haley has almost never been more relieved or happy that alcohol and Poppy make for a very strangely thinking creature that makes her do things she'd never do in sobriety – like leave her best friend in an alley with the man who was just feeling her up.

Haley's head spins back to him and he's approaching her now, he has a plank of wood in his hand – probably broken off from a nearby crate - '_great... he's strong_'. She internally whines before pushing all of her body weight into forcing both her feet upwards at the man's middle – her disorientated head misjudged his distance and she misses. She manages to scramble quickly away from him, though, unfortunately he appears to be fast too and manages to kick her leg and she falls on her face wincing in pain as her arms are grazed by the broken glass she's found herself surrounded by. She does manage to swing her leg back and kick him in the crotch this time. He doubles over and she turns so she is laid on her back and bends at the waist so she is high enough to swing her elbow into the side of his head so he goes veering off sideways.

"Oh, you're a feisty one I'll give you that. Gonna put up a fight girly, huh? I like a challenge" He smirked cruelly at her through glazed eyes and lunges her way.

"Play time's over big boy" Suddenly the huge lump of her attacker is punched violently in the side, the plank of wood now in the new man's hand as he brutally bashes it over the big lugs head. _Repeatedly. _

The wind is still knocked out of her and the adrenalin has already left her and her limbs are sagging as she tries to stumble to her feet. She sees blood in her corner vision as the attacker guy slumps to the floor and the new helpful man is lumbering towards her, his posture tense.

"C'mon you, you've got to subdue your wailing banshee friend yet" he grumbles taking her arm and she can't tell if it's in support or guidance or just to keep her moving, he drags her to the end of the alley where Poppy is sat on the steps of an apartment building round the corner, sobbing violently into the shoulder of some poor guy.

"Oh, puppy, how much have you had to drink?" Haley asks softly, sitting next to her weeping friend and putting a hand on her back, trying to catch her eye. Poppy just turns more into the arms of the poor guy and sobs harder. It's only really then that Haley looks up and realises who the two men who saved Poppy and herself are, the first was Dan, him and Haley are in the same classes and she knows she finds him funny though she can't really say she knows him that well. The second guy is Jack, he and Haley had been friends when they were eight and used to be all adventurous together and stuff during Haley's tomboy phase until they just sort of grew apart when they got to middle school and Poppy and Haley became friends and Jack got even more rebellious and branched out himself, though they were still civil. Jack was in with the 'cool' crowds now, though he always kept in the background not really involving himself with them too much. He was known for being the bad-boy-mysterious type to all the girls in their school who swooned over him because they found his dark eyes so 'naughty' and 'haunted' and all those other adjectives that made girls think tortured bad boy who needed consoling.

"Thanks guys." She says suddenly.

"We were just making our way down the street when Poppy here comes running out of the alley and runs straight into Dan, and grabs the poor guy and starts wailing about you and some guy in the alley" Jack starts, looking non-too-impressed at Poppy's appearance and as though his valiant act in saving her was just an inconvenience. "So being the great guys we are, I head into the alley and save your sorry ass while Dan consoles your weeping 'puppy'" he adds in a mocking tone.

"Glad to be of service" Dan mutters to the side, but Haley's eyes are burning into Jack's.

"You don't have to sound so inconvenienced at having to help us, we didn't scream and beg for your help dealing with that oaf-" She snapped without thinking, suddenly coming over all tired and irritable.

"_She_ did" Jack interjected

"_I_ didn't, that guy was so drunk he probably didn't know what he was doing, I could have handled him. You came by your own steam Jack"

"Yeah you sure looked like you were handling him from your place on your back eating glass Haley! Why can't you just be grateful? You always did have an attitude problem, apart from you were much more obedient as a kid"

"I wasn't your bitch Jack, I was just an idiot" She snarled. She looked back to Poppy as her tears were dying down. "Thanks Dan, I'll take her home now" she said softly as she reached for Poppy and her friend fell into her side as Haley carefully wiped a tear from her friend's porcelain cheek. She stood up and wobbled slightly.

"Are you sure you don't want any help? I'd feel better if we helped. We're gonna help" Dan apparently decided, talking in a way that was obviously supposed to be inside his head, nudging Jack's arm.

Haley sighed, her sudden tiredness taking over as her shoulders slumped and her arm went slack around Poppy's waist. "That would actually be really nice..."

"So just to clarify you would actually like our help this time?" Jack mocked.

"You don't have to Jack but it would be real nice of you" Haley exhaled as Dan wrapped an arm around Poppy's other side. Jack grumbled something unintelligible, taking his hands out of his pockets to stride over to them, picking up Poppy in one swift move. Haley smiled tiredly. Dan turned to her with a half grin.

"You want a piggy back?" She smirked half heartedly and nodded. She climbed two of the steps and clambered onto his back as he got a safe hold on her thighs.

"So where are we going?" Jack snapped.

"Poppy? You want to go to your place or mine?" Haley asked her friend in a soft motherly tone.

"Yours," was her grumbled reply. Ignoring Dan's mumbled joke that involved the words 'feel like we're intruding' something she missed but assumed was mildly perverted and the words 'kinky' and 'maybe we could join Jacky', Haley started spouting directions.

"Another two blocks into the narrows, round the corner to the left and it'll be the third apartment building." Neither boy commented on what everyone knew about getting deeper into the narrows as they set off. Not many people looked like these two girls – not in the whole of Gotham – it clearly wasn't a safe place for two young gorgeous teenage girls to be, not at any time of day. They shared a look as Poppy rested her head on Jack's chest. He winced as she rested it on a bruise.

"You want to trade?" Dan asked seeing the pain in Jack's expression. Haley's brain briefly flickered with a feminist retort, but her eyelids drooped and she decided against it. She wasn't really that sort of girl anyway.

"Nah, there's only another block to go... Besides Haley's bigger, you can keep the heavy one" he added with a smirk.

"Rude" Dan smirked back, "She only carries weight where it's needed anyway" Haley didn't actually get that last part for a second before she blushed.

"Don't be taking privileges there Dan, no time to be getting ahead of ourselves with two vulnerable girls completely at our mercy in need of our assistance" Jack bantered.

"We're in a sex-offenders heaven right now" Dan laughed back.

They eventually got to Haley's building. To be fair it wasn't exactly the worst building on the block but that wasn't really saying all that much. It was run down with graffiti all over but the place didn't smell so that was a bonus in this area.

"I'll take her from here if you'd like" Haley offered tiredly as she slid from Dan's back to open the door and hold it open for Jack, he nodded and made a comment about her being 'such a gentleman' as he walked on though. Dan followed behind awkwardly into the building lobby.

"Sure you can make the stairs?"

"There's an elevator." Haley put a hand on Poppy's arm and another on her cheek, "wakey-wakey puppy, just wake up for two minutes and then you'll be in bed, with a duvet and all the fancy stuff like pillows."

Poppy roused slightly at the promise of a warm bed, "promise we'll cuddle?" a ghost of a smile appeared at the side of Haley's mouth. Dan perked up and made another awfully witty comment on 'girl on girl action' as Haley spoke over him.

"Sure, but you've gotta walk with me for a second pup." Jack slowly eased Poppy onto unsteady feet as Haley wrapped an arm around her middle and secured one of Poppy's over her shoulder. She mouthed a thank you with an overly grateful look to the boys and stumbled over to the elevator.

"I like her"

"You don't even know her" Jack reasoned with a mirthful smirk.

"She's in my class" Dan tried.

"Still don't know her dude"

"Neither do you"

"Never claimed to"

"Neither did I, just said I liked her. Maybe we should get to know her"

"By any chance does this have to do with her measurements?"

"Not as much as you'd think, I just get good vibes from her dude. Didn't even have that much to do with having her thighs around me"

"She was tired"

"But what do you reckon those measurements are though? C'mon you're always great at this game" Dan grinned. They'd made it to the end of the street making their way back towards the Friday night party scene of Gotham's youth. Jack lit up a cigarette with a crease in his brow. He decided to humour his friend.

"36, 23, 36. 32D. Size 4. And I'm not guessing her shoe size too, because that's too creepy, even for us..."

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><p>Meanwhile Haley had just made it to her apartment door. She fumbled clumsily with the keys while making an impressive feat of holding up her pint-sized dead weight of a friend. The door swung open with her brother James on the other side, she smiled gratefully and tossed the keys to him as she wrapped Poppy round her and stumbled to her bedroom where she dropped her unceremoniously onto her double bed and flung the comforter over her as Poppy snuggled further in. Haley straightened up, pushing the hair out her face and rolling her eyes at her friend. She walked into the kitchen to get a drink.<p>

"Why can't she just go to her own home one Friday night?" Jimmy grinned from the door frame.

"Her parents-"

"Our mom's a worse state than hers; her parents just argue and don't give Poppy the right amount of attention, that's their only problem"

"Don't talk like that about things you don't know, Jam. And never say that about mom, we can never understand everything she's done for us, she's the strongest person I know and she loves us. Which is more than can be said for Poppy's folks; you've never seen it, their fights are messy, and get violent and cruel and black-holey, dementor-y real quick too" There was a pause

"Did you just make a Harry Potter reference?" He offered to fill the silence; a soft smile appeared on both their faces as Haley raised her head. She ruffled his hair and laughed slightly.

"It was on TV last night when I went to sleep on the couch"

"Uh-huh, nerd" Her smile melted slightly at the sound of a groan from their mothers room. Jimmy tended to sleep on the couch or sometimes slept in Haley's bed and she'd take the couch because there were only two bedrooms and as their mother put it 'their young backs could take the couch easier than hers could, and only when _they_ could afford to buy another more comfortable one would she ever contemplate sleeping on it'.

"How much she drink?"

"It's Friday night, she had a bad shift" he said by way of reply, an edge to his expression, a tightening of his jaw. Their mother had always been so wonderful and full of life when they were little but as James was younger he could remember fewer instances and Haley felt he was starting to resent their mother and the way she was turning out. Her life was starting to catch up with her and she turned to alcohol and seemed to be deteriorating mentally more and more now. She'd have days where everything would be good and she'd be the loving amazing mother she'd always been but then she'd have to go to work the next day and the depression would get to her and she'd come home drunk and medicate herself until she was lost to sleep.

"She wasn't always like that, Jam. She's just been through so much, and had to keep it together with no help for too long... For us. She's still our mother though and she still loves us so much. But there's only so much the mind can take. If that's her only escape, her way of dealing... She damn well deserves a break, Jam"

"Why can't we be enough for her though, to keep her afloat?"

"How do you think she held on so long, until we were old enough to look after ourselves? She's still in there, still looking out for us in her own weird subconscious way" Another weighty pause gripped them.

"You should go make sure Poppy hasn't choked on her own puke yet"

"You've always had such a way with words" They shared the same smirk before she made her way into her room and stripped off her jeans and shirt, slipping on an oversized band shirt that had appeared in their house, probably from someone's ex-boyfriend. She checked Poppy's state (she seemed fine enough), stroked her hair and kissed her cheek before slipping in the other side and throwing an arm over her friend.

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><p><em>This is in part inspired by the story (De)evolution, by someone else on here (sorry them), which you should probably go read because its probably better than mine. Though mine is gonna end up in a slightly different place, and hopefully get a little more interesting before it does.<em>

_I'll try to update later today. Feedback would be muchly appreciated._

_Disclaimer: nothing is mine, even the idea for the story itself came from someone else._


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Again I don't own anything__  
><em>

_Who I based Marnie on: Lea Seydoux (all I know is she's french and I thought that'd do). Luke: Evan Peters, and Dean: Anton Yelchin. The plot will improve in due time but I'm trying to establish a basis to the characters, and if the writing sort of feels a bit shabby half way through, that's because it was supposed to be part of another chapter that I feel wasn't as well written. So sorry in advance for that._

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><p><span>Chapter II:<span>

The next morning Haley wakes up to a groan on the other side of the bed and the radio on in the kitchen and the clanging of bowls as Jimmy is undoubtedly attempting to create his own sustenance / make a bowl of cereal, but he's good at over dramatising things.

She stretches and meets the gaze of a rough looking Poppy. Haley pushes her shoulder with a chuckle and rolls out of bed, pulling on some shorts over her panties. Making her way into the kitchen she sees that she was right.

"Can you make any more noise? Seriously, we have a fragile guest," she muttered, stretching her long limbs out as she walked. Their mother slept like the dead on her concoction of sleeping pills, anti-depressants and booze. It was a wonder she hadn't keeled over but it meant she was out till afternoon.

"I'm sorry did I wake your lesbian lover?" he grinned brightly, morning person – damn him.

"Yeah ya did Romeo, and no it wasn't much appreciated" a disgruntled looking Poppy emerged from the bedroom, scratching her head and reaching for a cheerio from his bowl. She called James an assortment of different Leonardo Dicaprio characters – all early stuff – based on his uncanny resemblance to the star in his younger pre-titanic years. She preferred comparing him to the slow brother in 'what's eating Gilbert Grape' as she felt it was quite accurate and apparently quite funny although he actually looked the most like Leo in 'Romeo + Juliet' (coincidentally the movie they'd been watching when his likeness had been noticed, when James came in with a brooding look on his face complaining about their soppy movie choice as he stood disapprovingly next to the TV).

His shit eating grin spread wider as he tapped his spoon obnoxiously loudly on the counter to the beat of the song on the radio. "Asshole" she grunted stealing another cheerio.

"Get your own" he manoeuvred the bowl out of her reach.

"I'm essentially your unofficially adoptive sister but you won't let me take two cheerios?"

"You don't choose family and all that"

"Down children," Haley ordered, her voice still gruff from sleep, as she placed a plate of toast and butter in front of her friend.

"No chocolate spread?" 'Puppy' looked up with eyes akin to that of her name-sake, as Haley rolled her own and slid some Nutella in front of her too.

"You two have the weirdest lesbian lovers slash mother-daughter relationship dynamic ever"

"We're adaptable" Haley muttered over her shoulder as she buttered her own toast. James laughed as Poppy nodded and took an obscenely large bite out of half the slice at once before struggling to actually chew it all.

"What're we doing today?" She asked once she'd swallowed the mangled bread.

"We're going to the diner to apologize, and then whatever"

Poppy, 'hmm'-ed, sounding not all that impressed with the prospect.

"You got work today, Jam?" Haley asked as she took a seat at the breakfast counter across from him.

"Yep, a day of cleaning up fermenting puke from last night in a bar where I'm not allowed to be paid in alcohol, and waiting tables in a restaurant where I'm not allowed to be paid in food awaits me"

"You're such a scrounger," Poppy giggled "and don't pretend you don't have an undoubtedly thrilling yet completely mysterious social life as soon as you get off work, pretty boy"

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><p>So an hour later and the girls have just apologised to Donnie, Poppy for skipping out on her shift, and Haley for having to abruptly leave before hers was over. They didn't have to apologise to Don, he was a good natured man who couldn't be mad at them if he tried, but Haley was raised well enough and had trained Poppy enough along the way that it was only good manners. They spent the rest of the weekend with their friend Marnie, who was the tall, elegant artsy type. She had short sandy hair and brown eyes and soft – almost plain – features. She was pretty enough and highly seductive, with an air and confidence about her that drew men like moths to a flame.<p>

Though Haley and Poppy were hardly unpopular at school they didn't have the notoriety of Marnie – she was the girl you noticed if she was in your class, the one all the popular girls wanted to talk to and all the boys wanted for a lab partner. She had that presence and way about her you didn't see every day. While her friends were the ones you certainly wouldn't complain if you were seated next to – unless you're one of the snobby popular girls - they didn't exude the same appeal, more like the ones boys had a quiet unvoiced crush on but not the one that held their full attention and was widely glorified. Not like Marnie.

The girls spent Saturday night at various house parties, deteriorating with each one. Marnie's French accent becoming thicker with each new destination as she seeped further into intoxication, before they all ended up back at Haley's. They spent the night unconscious in a pile on the floor of the living room, under piles of duvets as Jam had already done his round of party hopping and arrived home before them to claim the bedroom where he stayed holed up with the girl he'd brought back. Luckily for them with Jimmy also in a vulnerable state the next morning – for once actually suffering the consequences of his partying – they were spared his usual racket and antics that ensued after they'd had a rough night.

As if the heavens were smiling down on them Kristen was also completely stable and functioning this morning and taking pity on the pile of girls in her lounge made them a hangover-cure breakfast and made light conversation with them until they were suitably pulled together. The same kindness being extended to her son when he emerged from the bedroom in just his boxers, and she politely pretended not to notice the petite red head scurrying for the front door while she put his breakfast together.

"I thought the saying was 'the stricter the parents, the more rebellious the kids'? I think I've been pretty lenient with you and yet I have a kitchen full of underage teens nursing hangovers."

"It's not rebellious if you're not against it. So in our case the term would be 'experimenting'... Or 'broadening our horizons'," Jimmy managed to pull an over exaggerated – if not slightly pained – grin across his face, as he shovelled eggs into his mouth.

His mother echoed a similar grin "Okay smart ass... Was it with that smart tongue you managed to talk that pretty red head into your bed, or did you take advantage of that poor girl?"

"Our mother everyone" Haley muttered to herself with a breathy laugh and a smirk on her lips.

"You couldn't have just kept up the pretty facade that you hadn't noticed her," he sighed, "and no, of course I didn't take advantage of her, you should know I'm secretly quite charming"

"At least I can console myself with the fact you're good kids..." Kristen sighed to herself "Besides I couldn't overlook my son bringing home that beauty, you know you need the congratulations for your manly ego" her grin was practically splitting her face at this point, highlighting her laughter lines.

"Yeah, well done bro" Poppy giggled, doing her best bro-dude voice, giving him a high five.

"Totally, she was a solid nine, dude. Way-to-go," Haley did the same voice, high fiving him and pushing his shoulder. Marnie just nodded high fiving him.

"You guys are so weird" he laughed, as he rubbed his chest with one hand, stabbing his food with the other.

By noon, Poppy and Marnie had gone home and the Quain 'twins' were sat on the couch, having a movie marathon and eating junk food with their mom. It was times like this when they really felt like a family, not that they'd had a pyjama day watching old movies with junk food since they were kids, but it was still nice to spend time together.

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><p>By Monday morning Haley actually had to drag herself out of bed. <em>Because M<em>_ondays suck. _Her timetable sucked, she had to do the chores, she had to try to stay awake and she had work as soon as school was over.

Ugh.

Looking at her clock Haley also realises she's late. _No time for a shower to bring me round then._ She quickly pulls on her clothes – jeans, a shirt, leather jacket and military boots - and puts her hair up in a messy bun. No time for make up. Grabbing her bag, an apple and the bag of pick n' mix she'd got for the movie day yesterday and just never eaten, she's half way out the door when she remembers personal hygiene and runs for the bathroom to brush her teeth, gargle and spray herself with the equivalent of three layers of deodorant.

On the bus she then realises she's later than her brother... Aaaand that she forgot to put on any underwear, but had at least managed a clean bra.

Then theres nothing like walking into class late when it's written in every tired line, each dark circle under her dull hazy eyes and her messy bun and lack of makeup that she slept in. Especially when it's Ms. Foreman's class and she purses her lips in that universal sign of disappointment. Then she makes the mistake of making eye contact with Jess Walters and she sees the distain. Its times like this she wishes she was Marnie. _With her fucking lovely accent, and her soft eyes and that thing, that confidence in her step that makes you want to just bask in her glow._

There are no seats left. She's thinking of just turning around, leaving and trying again next week.

_Do I have lesbian tendencies towards my best friend?_ She wonders briefly, turning back towards the front, where her eyes will undoubtedly meet that of the Foreman's and she'll give that shrug and innocent look of 'oh well I tried, bye, bye now', when she sees a seat. It's free and it's in the middle of popular people territory. She briefly looks up at Foreman with eyes probably akin to that of a deer in the headlights, and she almost looks as though she _knows_ and Haley could almost see pity but then it's gone, because in Violet Foreman's eyes there is a special circle of hell reserved for those who are tardy. And she probably doesn't even own feelings like pity, feelings of mere mortals and not science teachers. So Haley resigns herself to another fifty minutes of sitting in enemy territory hoping they ignore her, and sits down. She's fumbling in her bag for the textbook and remembers seeing it among a pile of magazines with a picture of Bruce Wayne on the cover, the playboy – the gloriously beautiful billionaire playboy with the _eyes_ and the playful smirk and the big brain – had been seen leaving the apartment of a beautiful young actress who'd been in town (dude was only eighteen at the time). _Nope, probably don't have lesbian tendencies; think I'm safe in my creepy crush on a handsome billionaire._ _We never did have low standards Hales._

"You fuck-tard, Quain, can't you do anything yourself" came a scathing, pseudo-reprimanding voice beside her. It was very much jovial and she didn't like that – probably because she knew who it belonged to. His overly long, large hand pushed his book more into the middle of the desk as a signal that they could share.

"Don't be a dick Napier, no one likes dick before noon"

"Clearly someone's never had morning sex"

"If you wake up to have sex with someone, and it was half decent the night before, no one should be awake before noon" she rationalised, pulling a jelly snake from her bag of pick n' mix and chewing on its head.

"Are you flirting with me?"

"I don't know I just woke up, and less than five minutes ago I thought I was having lesbian tendencies towards my best friend"

"You and Poppy are very close" it was only when she heard his reply that her brain caught up to her mouth and she realised what she'd said. A blush suddenly lit up on her cheekbones.

"None of that made sense and I shouldn't open my mouth before noon"

"You don't apparently, not if it was half decent the night before" his shit eating grin must have been giving off its own solar energy at this point.

"Oh dear lord," she half chuckles, she put her head in her hands "It made no sense, it doesn't count"

"It counts" she groans at his response.

"Miss QUAIN! How dare you not only come into my class almost ten minutes late before taking a further minute too long to take a seat, then proceeded to fulfil your need to apparently get to know your new desk partner and forgetting the text book, YOU ARE EATING IN MY LAB!" Foreman screeched.

Haley's shock caused her to essentially inhale what was left of the jelly snake that'd been hanging from her lips and beside her Jack's boisterous laughter was practically hysterical, the volume of it hitting the silence that'd befallen the room at Ms. Foreman's yell. Said teacher now looks positively _incensed_.

"Both of you get out of my room NOW!"

Haley quickly pushes her stuff into her bag while Jack rocks back and lets out one last bark of laughter. She gives him a rather pointed look at that. He wipes a tear from his eye, quite gracefully after his little show he stands and sweeps his stuff into his bag and strides out of the room.

"Oh thank god for you on Monday morning you little harlequin," he beams when they're out the door. They're walking aimlessly out of school, it may have been first lesson but Foreman hadn't ordered them to go anywhere specifically so they're gonna take it as a green light to leave, Haley already done with the day and Jack just didn't care.

"I literally didn't make it ten minutes" Haley whines, he nudges her chin with a hooked finger.

"Chin up buttercup, I'll put a smile on that face"

"Nah, I'll head home"

"When I said I'd put a smile on your face that wasn't quite what I'd meant..." He looked up as though thinking "Yet I'm not completely opposed to the idea" he chuckled.

"Shut up" she smirked mirthfully as she gave his shoulder a punch.

"See that almost counted! Now give me one of those snake things and I'll show you your face when you almost choked on it whole" at that he got a laugh.

"Shut up" she repeated.

"Seriously, it'll have you balling" she was distracted with laughing so he decided to pinch one, he hung it out his mouth, before sucking it in, his eyes going wide and his face contorting. At this point she was laughing too hard to say anything back.

* * *

><p>Hours later, after even school should have finished, they're sat in the only park in this part of the city, on the floor at opposite ends of the see-saw, using it to pass the pick n' mix back and forth as they sit there chatting.<p>

"Why are we in the same year, I thought you were like a year or two older than me"

"Just one. I got held back, done this year twice. Bad behaviour," their tones and conversations had mellowed when they'd finished off a joint half an hour ago. "Me and Danny set fire to the roof garden thing when a plant caught fire where we'd left a cigarette. How were we supposed to know the pesticides were flammable? Besides fairly sure plant ash makes good compost or something like that"

"You're such an idiot, only made more annoying by the fact you're a secret genius" she smirked, shoving more fruit shaped jellies into her mouth.

"You're right about you barely ever making any sense" he sniggered.

"Ha ha, you know what I mean... It really bugs me that you got held back when you're so smart because you act like an idiot. My brother got held back a year because he's dyslexic, but they thought he was a total idiot because he gets everything slightly slower than some people, it was just because he's wasn't as old as he had to say he was"

"What d'you mean?" he mumbled, they were sat crossed legged Indian style across from each other at each end of the see-saw.

"When I was about to start school my mom couldn't afford the baby sitter so she said Jam was 15 months older than he was and that he was my twin so that he could start school the same time, so the teachers all thought he was a degenerate cos' his dyslexia held him back and the fact he was a year less mature made it worse. He got held back and all the teachers wrote him off as an idiot."

"See, well now I feel like you just told me something deep and personal and I don't know what to do with that, so well done for making us all awkward now Hay-bale" he was partially trying to lighten the mood. She gave a mirthless half-smile at that.

"Yeah boo-hoo my brothers stupid and we're poor, its Gotham everyone has their sob story. My mom's just happened to seriously suck donkey balls..." Being the perceptive little shit he was he could tell something there resonated deep with her and he didn't know what to do, so he was only too glad when her face lit up suddenly, "Wanna see something cool?"

In answer to her question he merely quirked a brow and gave her a look. She stood up and removed her jacket, before walking over to the edge of where the bouncy-kiddie-friendly-tarmac met the cold hard stone and did a gymnasts stance. She stood proud with her arms raised, before launching into multiple flips and tricks. She was very good. Graceful as she flipped through the air with ease, he noticed now how strong her arms were and how tight and taught and toned and lean she was. He imagined the only reason she couldn't go pro was her curves getting in the way, she didn't have the stereotypical gymnast's body of an upside-down triangle. She was talented though.

After a good few minutes she landed, not a foot out of line back in the spot she'd started in, and took a mock bow. He clapped, loud and almost mocking, though he _was_ impressed.

"That was fairly cool," he conceded "for a second I thought you were gonna flash me, but I think that may've been better" _may._

"Jimmy got extra tutor, I got gymnastics"

"I feel he may've gotten the short end of the stick"

"Eh, he thrives on anything, he's that sort of guy, damn him" she smiled, her breathing laboured. Suddenly her face fell into an expression of panic. She ran at her bag, pulling out her phone to check the screen, "Fuck. I'm almost late for work, it's been nice. I'll see ya" She blabbered, pulling on her jacket and pulling her bag over her shoulder.

"Uhh... Okay" he waved awkwardly as she ran off before setting off back towards where he knew his friends would probably be lingering around this time of day.

* * *

><p>Its almost nine when the boys decide they're hungry, and they want Donnie's because it has a kindly fat owner, cheap food and the best ribs and fries they've yet to locate. Now imagine their surprise when they sit down only to be served by a distracted Haley.<p>

"Are you stalking me?" Jack asks a crease in his brow. Her head snaps to them.

"Yeah Jack, I made up that fake job so I could stalk you here and quickly disguise myself as a waitress just so I could breathe the same air as you a little longer" she deadpanned, tone dripping with sarcasm, expression wholly unimpressed.

"I'd be flattered toots if that weren't so creepy" he smirked.

"Sometimes I'd like nothing better than to literally smack that grin off of your face," she says seriously, before turning to his friends, "Is there anything you boys want?"

"The waitress?" Dan smiles, she knows he doesn't really mean it but his smile ain't half charming. One of the newcomers laugh and say something along the lines of 'you've got to stop'.

"Flattered," she puts a hand to her chest, "But does anyone want any food or can I go try and get some tips off of real customers?"

"Some ribs and fries for the table,"

"Drinks?"

They all gave non-committal shrugs "I think we'll leave that to your good judgement" Dan grinned. She rolled her eyes and told them they were having coffees because they all looked like dead beats. She was about to walk away when Dan's expression sobered and he touched her arm to get her attention, "How's Poppy?"

"She's fine, can't even tell she went through a mildly traumatic experience three days ago"

"And you?"

"Am also fine," she reassured, "I'm going to go get the things you ordered now so you don't all think I'm crap at my job, okay?"

"Who's she?" Luke asked the second she was out of ear shot.

"That's Haley, we saved her and her friend Poppy from this dude down a back alley when he was trying to put the moves on Poppy and then tried it on with Haley,"

"We? Fairly sure you just sat and held a crying girl while I did all the work kicking the dude's ass"

"It just became incredibly obvious you've never had to deal with a crying girl, specially one like Poppy" Haley chuckled, coming back with their orders, "and besides you said it yourself that he had to carry the heavier one home"

"Yeah because he seemed real broken up about having your legs wrapped around him all the way"

"And what lovely legs" Dan muttered to himself.

"Stood right here dude, and when you haven't even introduced me to your friends too" she fake reprimanded.

"Guys this is a girl we saved, Haley this is Luke and Dean" they both waved appropriately to motion whose name was whose. Haley couldn't help but notice one of them - Luke - happened to be Poppy's type. She grinned, sitting down in the booth next to Jack.

"You have a girlfriend Luke?" She asked, he blushed a little and muttered a 'no', "Good, cos' I have a friend that would just _love_ you" she nodded at him.

"Who's that Ha-" _speak of the devil,_ her eyes zeroed in on poor Luke. Haley could practically see 'target acquired' written behind her friends eyes as she dropped into the seat next to him, "Haley he's everything I could ever want in life" she give him a good and lingering once over. Luke looked at her like some sort of wild animal and if he took his eyes off of her she'd pounce – which probably wasn't all that inaccurate.

"He hasn't even opened his mouth yet"

"You don't understand he looks like Evan Peters" Haley explained for her friend.

"That guy from American Horror Story?"

"That'd be the one" Haley nodded, amusement lit up her eyes.

"Hey" Luke gave Poppy a wave, "what do I do guys?"

"I think your doing it"

"Can we go somewhere and fuck?" Poppy asked, all dream-like, biting her lip.

"That he can do," Dan laughed, as Jack murmured in Haley's ear "this is the only time I haven't seen him completely abuse this, I think she makes him nervous"

"She tends to have that effect on people"

At this point Luke and Poppy are making their way towards the bathroom, Luke still looking a little uncertain and Poppy like every Christmas has come at once.

"She's friendly like that... But what about you Dean, you got a girlfriend?"

"Why you know anyone else as 'friendly' as Poppy?" He asked.

"Not quite, but you're just adorable, I'm sure we can find you someone. If not Marnie might just eat you up" she gave a bop on his nose.

"Marnie as in Marnie Bernard, Marnie?" Dan asked, his Irish accent going all kinds of weird when he got excited.

"Yeah"

"Ooh la-lah" he chuckled, "the only girl every man wants that Jack can't say he's had"

"The lists longer than her" Jack rolled his eyes.

"Yeah but she's like top of the list" Dan's smile was practically glowing at this stage.

"I guess I've never really tried"

"You never usually have to try"

"What's happening?" Haley was grinning now too, her voice layered with interest, she wanted to be in on people picking on Jack.

"This one time we all got really drunk and the conversation got really deep and-" Dean started

"In the hypothetical situation that this happened, because if it did we wouldn't talk about that because we're manly and stuff" Dan interjected, his back straight as he forced a deeper voice and squared his shoulders, doing a face that reminded her of Gaston from 'Beauty and the Beast'.

"Yeah, yeah, in the hypothetical situation that we all got drunk enough to be honest and have a weirdly deep conversation and the question was asked if we could have any girl who'd she be. In that situation Jack would take ages to answer because he's had almost all of the girls in Gotham who are every teenage guy's wet dream" Dean continued, gesturing at Jack. She's glad he told this story, as though what he's saying is pretty vulgar it's not as degrading as if either of the other two would have said it because of his soft voice and bowed head, "So when he finally answers the question it's a pretty big deal and it just so happens to be Marnie Bernard"

"And ever since these guys make out I'm madly in love with her every time she's mentioned. I changed my mind like six times before I actually answered the question"

"Yeah but it's _you_, and you answered the question" Dean gestured again.

"Who'd the other guys say?" She couldn't help her interest now she'd been let into the conversation.

"I said Ava Wallace," Dean pointed to himself.

"Good choice, good choice" Haley nodded, Ava was a beautiful petite dark skinned girl in their year, with green eyes and long brown hair that fell in annoyingly perfect curls, she was on the swimming team and track. She was always nice to Haley and had sat next to her in English for a year back in ninth grade, when they'd had to do a summer project together. "If I had to ever go girl, it'd probably be Ava Wallace"

"I thought yours was Poppy?" Jack looked pseudo-shocked.

"I was actually thinking about Marnie when I'd said that lesbian tendencies thing"

"You realise you've just given us the mental image of you with two girls we already wanted to sleep with, right?" he gave her a look.

She ignored him "Who was Dan's?"

"Nina Holland"

"She's a horrid bitch and I expected better of you" Haley dismissed, "She's not even that good looking"

"I know I just want to be able to say I have so I have something to hold over her head"

"You've regained every ounce of my respect" she smirked, "and Luke?"

"Veronica Monroe"

"Let's not tell Poppy, she has it in her head that Veronica Monroe is the antichrist sent to punish her"

"What"

"She thinks she's the hotter better version of herself - because Poppy covets the ridiculous notion that the only things she's good at is art and partying and shoe shopping, and Veronica Monroe is the only person better than her in art class, and when Poppy was having a catfight in the January Sales over some boots Veronica nabbed them and now she just all out hates her"

All the boys looked thoughtful at this "Poppy's hotter though" Dan finally supplied and the others nodded along in affirmation. It was true, Veronica was pretty and had beautifully dyed candy-floss pink hair, but she didn't have the same life in her eyes that Poppy did.

"She won't hear it; every girl has that one girl they hate above all others because we're jealous or something like that, hers happens to be Veronica Monroe"

"Who's yours?"

"You were all drunk when you bared your soul's right? Don't expect just cos' I'm a girl I won't have to be in the same state to share that stuff" she stole a couple fries and pushed them into her mouth. "I wouldn't have told you Poppy's if she wasn't so obvious about it"

"Would you drink yourself into that state if we invited you out?" Dan asked.

"Sure" she smiled.

"When's your shift over?" she looked at the clock.

"Nine, but the place is dead so I'll just leave whenever Poppy re-emerges" she said, picking up their empty plates and mugs and putting them on the tray, taking them over to the counter, "How long have they been gone anyway?"

"I think about 15 minutes" Dean said looking at his watch, "Shouldn't be much longer then"

Less than five minutes later and the couple re-emerged, Luke looking decidedly flustered while Poppy was practically glowing. She dragged him out by his hand. "Let's go then" Dan smirked at the two as they all headed for the park.

* * *

><p>An hour later saw them situated on the top of two picnic tables, passing around a couple bottles of booze, a joint and two cigarettes. By now everyone was suitably buzzed and getting along.<p>

"So what's your answer to the question from earlier?" Dean asked in the first moment of silence, less timid with half the bottle of Jack's down him.

"What?" Haley laughed, handing the joint to Luke.

"What did you guys talk about while we were gone?" Luke asked.

"We talked about that conversation that we don't talk about" Dan said seriously, "Just the one about Marnie, not the whole thing though" he assuaged when he saw the slight panic on Luke's face. Poppy – the lightweight when mixing drinks – didn't even notice the mention of her friend's name.

"And then Haley said something about every girl hating another above all the rest because of jealousy and I want to know who hers is" Dean prompted Haley again. There was a brief pause as Poppy could be heard muttering something that sounded suspiciously like 'fucking Veronica' but was lost to a hiccup.

"Well I guess mine's Natasha Johnson"

"_Why_?"

"_Still_?" Poppy asked at the same time, now squinting at her through the smoke of the cigarette she was puffing.

"She's just everything you think a girl is supposed to be, the girl I could be if my dad hadn't fucked us all over" She looked down; Dan pushed the bottle into her hand, with an obscenely loud whisper of:

"You're way hotter than her, and cooler, girl has the personality of a plank"

Haley couldn't suppress a smile at that, "Yeah and she's probably sat at home having a slumber party with her friends watching dirty dancing and here I am with you guys"

"Dirty Dancing is one hell of a movie though" one of the guys said.

"I've never seen 'Dirty Dancing'" Dean says in an odd tone, both girls and Jack, Dan and Luke drink.

"I think you just started a game of 'never have I ever'" Dan grinned, he fucking loved drinking games.

"Fuck" Jack, did not.

"You drank dude"

"It was reflex"

"But you have seen it" Dan gave him that look that read 'I know, I was there'.

"Who's starting?" Jack conceded. Which obviously led to a particularly intimate and probing game of the infamous 'never have I ever', which weirdly brought their little collective closer, learning things they probably shouldn't about each other. It was decided that they probably had to stay friends now, or else the break-up fights would be particularly grisly. This then deteriorated into them being a bunch of drunken teenagers having a mix between weirdly philosophical-bonding-type-conversations and just joking and making fun of each other and acting like all out idiots (which was mainly monopolised by Dan and Dean, who became the spice girls for a good few minutes giving an - even worse than the original - rendition of 'if you wanna be my lover').

They stayed in the park for another four hours before deciding to call it a night, stumbling to their feet and shuffling in the directions of their respective homes. After each parting ways at the end of the street Haley for the first time realised the time.

"Fuckity shit"

* * *

><p>When she made it home she opened the door as quietly as she could. It was a Monday which meant her mom was at work for the first time this week – she refused to work weekends because it was when the hotshot business men came in. The siblings had an unspoken deal that they both had to be home before their mother as she usually came home in a bit of a state and it wasn't fair for either one to have to deal with that alone. She finishes at two... It was a little after two.<p>

When Haley turns around from shutting the door she sees her brother sat in front of the couch watching the TV. He gave her a glare that clearly meant they were both lucky their mom was running late tonight. She was about to join him on the floor when the door flung open behind her, she turned to see her mother bracing herself on the door frame, her face a mess of make-up that an hour ago may have looked well applied, her head was lolling to the side and she looked like she was about to gag.

Both kids rushed forwards when she suddenly swayed forwards, falling into their arms and sinking to the floor sobbing into her hands. "Why is life so shitty? I'm so sorry you have to see me like this" she cried, hiding her face in her hands, further smudging her already running make-up – she looked so pathetic. "I used to be the poster-girl for the perfect marriage, now look what that bastards done to me" she grumbled to herself, looking up she cupped James's face, "No wonder you hate me" she said sadly. Another joyful little side-effect of her medicine cocktail is the fact her change of emotions could give you whiplash.

"Why did you have to look so much like him" now she was bitter as she practically pushed his face out of her hand in disgust and climbed up Haley. "And you! You had to be so fucking perfect didn't you! I would still be that beautiful if I didn't have you two, I could have managed so much better on my own" she wailed, as Haley propped her up, the stench of her breath in Haley's face made her eyes water - she smelled like cheap wine, that greasy club, whatever she'd eaten that day, her pills and something bitter and musky.

"We'll get you cleaned up mom, we'll fix you right up" she whispered, more for her own reassurance, she knew her mother probably couldn't hear her; she'd never been like this before though. She shared a look with Jam over her mother's head, she usually comes in completely gone just muttering and stumbling around, sometimes if she can speak its drowned in self-pity and hatred but she's never directed anything towards them before. "I'll get her cleaned up, you make her something to eat" he nodded, his eyes stone cold and pained but his expression completely stoic.

She dragged her mother's wobbly form into the bathroom and turned on the shower, pulling at her clothes. She was trying to slap her away and Haley was practically crying with frustration at this point, "Mom, stop it!" she snapped grabbing her hands and looked at her face, her mother's eyes were completely unseeing though, her chin and bottom lip wobbling. "I don't want to..." she whispered, broken.

"Mommy?" Haley whispered desperately, and her mother's eyes suddenly snapped to hers with a shocking clarity. She pulled her daughter into her arms.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry," she wept into her hair kissing her temple and cradling Haley. "Every time I go back to that place I see Tony in the eyes of all those men staring at me, and I see your father in the ones who use me and I'm just so sick of being used" she was full out sobbing now, every other word interrupted with a hiccup.

"What's happened mom?" She whispered, wrapped around her mother she sounded like a little girl. "What did they do to you?" Tears were now slipping down her porcelain cheek.

"Cobblepot's slipping, not looking after his girls like he used to..."

"He didn't...?" Haley's eyes shot to her mothers, blue meeting brown.

"No, no... Not him" she sobbed, shaking her head, "Mickey..." and there it was... She completely broke down, there on the bathroom floor, wrapped around her daughter, tears and make-up and everything that comes with it all over her face, Kristen just broke down.

"Oh my god, mommy... What do I do? Can I- How do I make this better?" Haley searched desperately, she was just as lost at this point, completely consumed with their little bubble beside the bath.

"There's nothing you can do baby, it is what it is: life is shit and then you die" Kristen winced, sobering now as she straightened out. "I'm going to clean up now... Don't tell your brother".

As Haley looked into her mother's eyes then, she thinks she is the strongest person she'll ever know, she's better than them all. She looks at her mother's wasted beauty and the dried up hope, but all she can see is that fragile strength that holds her up and keeps her moving forward. She'll get through this, she'll get past it, but it'll always be there, lurking in the shadows at her lowest moments.

Haley nodded, rising to her feet and making her way out of the bathroom. "I love you, mom" she says before closing the door behind her. She looks up and is met with her brother's eyes; there is a deep emotion she hasn't seen before, burning in them. She knows he heard everything, these walls are so thin and the sounds of sobs does tend to carry. "She'll probably just go to sleep when she gets out; I don't think she needs us anymore" Haley pulls on his shoulder, guiding him away from the bathroom door and towards her room, where they climb into bed fully clothed and not touching an inch. It wouldn't have felt right either of them on the couch tonight.

"I'm sorry for every bad word I've ever said about her" she hears her brother mumble before they fall asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter III:

The next morning life went on, and the sibling got ready in comparative silence, though managing for the first time since freshman year to make the same bus to school, joking and annoying each other for most of the journey.

Haley had first with her favourite teacher, Mr Bali, a peaceful and unassuming Indian man who gave as good as he got to the slackers at the back of every class who tried to mess him about. He had a passion for his subject and an interest and care for each student. He also had one of the greatest voices she'd ever heard - which had the effect of making the history he was teaching so much more engaging. She sat in a seat in the middle row near the window, and started pulling out the required books and pens when she noticed Dan sit next to her – odd considering he was one of the said slackers who usually sat at the back. "What are you doing this close to the front of a classroom?"

"Enjoying the ambience, trying to absorb some of the nerd energy" he was twitching in his seat, arms out in front of him, fiddling with his fingers. If it was anyone else this sort of body language would probably imply they were nervous sitting next to their crush or something, but as it was Dan the more likely conclusion was that he was high. "Besides Bali's cool, gotta love the man's voice. I just wanted to be closer to get a better look at that fabulous facial hair"

"He doesn't have facial hair"

"Those eyebrows though. How old do you think he is, he seems old but he looks great for his age, what's his secret? He must've been a beautiful man back in the day" He was talking fast. Fast even for Dan, contending with an excited Poppy fast. Whatever he's taken must have been strong stuff.

"Thank you Daniel, and to have you so close too, you must be quite enamoured, I'm flattered. Though I feel I must tell you I'm a happily married man," Mr Bali said calmly as he walked into the classroom. He took a pause to put the books he was carrying down on his desk, "And my secret is the absence of alcohol, though I assume that sentiment is already lost to you, Mr. Buckley"

The rest of the lesson went along well enough, Dan chattering away and Haley finding it far too easy to make high-Dan laugh.

After break he'd calmed down suitably for second period, and by lunch when she was sat in the cafeteria with just Marnie and Poppy and he came over to their table he seemed his usual self – being forward and joking along but not fidgety or speed-talking on the same level.

At some point Luke, Dean and Jack joined and Poppy said something weird about the government replacing teachers with robots that shut down after school ends and that's why no one ever sees teachers outside of school after Miss Thomas - a teacher known to not look all there - walked passed. This then prompted the whole conversation to take a turn along the lines of "I wouldn't be surprised if world leaders are planning to manufacture a zombie-esque pandemic that they would control like the hunger games to reduce population as a form of natural selection to only leave the strong behind"; which in turn went on to be a whole hour dedicated to discussion of conspiracies.

After two more hours of school, they all somehow ended up together again at Donnie's. This pattern followed for the rest of the week. They'd hang out at lunch and after school, and tended to have lessons with each other in between.

It was fun and they all got along and the conversations tended to be light hearted and weird or hilarious and wildly exciting with little in between...

And then came the weekend.

* * *

><p>"Let us all bask in the moment we enter a party with both Jack Napier <em>and<em> Marnie Bernard, cos we are going to look like the coolest bitches!" Poppy was skipping, and shouting and singing all at the same time and Haley and Marnie were rapidly regretting the decision of allowing her to have pre-drinks.

"Calm down, we've been to parties together before, _fleur_" Marnie chuckled as they made their way up to the party. It was at a now-abandoned club on the outskirts of the narrows overlooking the water surrounding the island.

"Not _all_ together," Poppy giggled dancing and spinning around with Dan.

As soon as they're inside they all head to the bar and do a couple shots together and grab some drinks before heading to the dance floor. Well... Haley, Dan and Poppy head for the dance floor and pull Luke and Dean along behind them. The music is loud and the beat pulsing, they're surrounded by dancing bodies and the heady scent of a party, most notably that of sweat and alcohol.

"I love underage shenanigans!" Poppy laughs shaking her head and bouncing up and down, "All the stuff that's illegal now just won't be as fun when it's all law abiding", Haley can barely hear her and knows she wouldn't be able to if she weren't literally a few inches from her friend. Haley just laughs and nods and carries on dancing with Poppy. They'd been here a couple hours and were way passed the stage of merely 'buzzed'. At some point nudity had happened and already been forgotten, lots of shots happened all the time, a mini dance-off occurred between some people they didn't know and a whole bunch of stuff that shouldn't be mentioned and will probably be forgotten also occurred. And this guy started a drinking games Olympics sort of thing too which was pretty cool.

But then it's four in the morning and they're holding each other up and things feel funny and people are throwing up and suddenly things just aren't so fun anymore and they want to leave.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait! We're missing people" Dean slurs, he's both being propped up by and steadying Poppy at the same time.

"I haven't seen them since the first hour" Dan, who is sat on the floor leaning against the railing between them and the water, helpfully adds, "they're probably getting to know each other better" now you'd expect for that to sound very dirty, considering the sentences content and the fact that Daniel Buckley just said it, but he's so wasted he's apparently turned into a three year old and everything is innocent and PG in his little bubble.

"We shouldn't leave without them" Haley hiccups, she is sat across from Dan next to Luke, who just made some comment about her 'sounding like some movie's war hero, saying shit like that'.

"Haley, use the power" Poppy reaches out dramatically towards her like she really is in the climactic scene of a movie. She'd referring to the fact Haley can sober herself up to a semi-functioning level for a good ten minutes before she goes completely hazy again.

So in keeping with their movie theme, they make cliché references and dramatic gestures and send Haley, their 'brave and valiant chosen one', back in to find their 'lost or wounded', because 'no american should be left behind by a fellow american' - Haley decided not to mention the fact that Marnie is French. When she gets back inside the crowd is significantly thinner but still pretty packed – was every youth in Gotham invited tonight, struth!

She then gets slightly side tracked when the need to pee is suddenly very strong, and proceeds to the bathroom to properly attend to business. It's as she's walking out she hears some noises that sound a lot like Marnie and a lot like the time she was crying about almost breaking her hand when Poppy fell on her. So being the good friend she is and the fact she was already looking for Marnie she follows the sound to a closed door – which admittedly should have set some sort of recognition off but Haley was a little gone at this point so she'll excuse herself for her idiocy later. Opening the door she recognises Marnie, and then she recognises the position in which Marnie is currently in... and then she recognises Jack – whom is in aforementioned position with the aforementioned friend.

"Oh god" So the polite thing to do is to immediately slam the door shut and dash out. Out to where she left everyone else, "found them! They're fine! They're... sex" _oh god_, she just walked in on them and they were... She puts her head in her hands and closes her eyes, the image burned into the back of her retina, _oh god_.

_Am I jealous? I'm jealous._

_Why am I jealous?_

_You know the answer to that Harls - you like him. You like him a lot. You've always liked him; it just used to be in a different way when you were kids._

_Oh god._

"Go Jacky! He's better than fine!" Dan is full belly laughing. "I think we have the green light to go Harls" he says edging her along when she doesn't move as everyone else is walking away.

So somehow they all end up at Luke's, because apparently the boys 'do it all the time' because his parents are 'awesome', which Luke iterated meant 'they don't give a shit'; which Haley decided meant he was the male version of Allison from the breakfast club.

They all sleep in the open-layout front room with the girls on the biggest couch, Luke across the other, Dean on the floor and Dan wrapped around the dining table legs.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Haley wakes up to find herself on the floor almost spooning Dean, and Poppy now spread out on the couch they'd previously shared.<p>

"Mor-ning _sun_shine" she hears from the table in a voice that sounds like a more nasal and scratchy version of the one she knows as Jack's. It's literally like nails on a chalk board. _Fuck, he's worse than Jam_. She looks over and sure enough, it's Jack at the table, with Luke and Dan. Behind her Poppy is now groaning and covering her ears, turning further into the couch.

"Feeling a little put out being degraded to the floor by your little _puppy_?" He mocks, he's using that voice again - it'd freak her out if it was a stranger. She gets up, pulling down her dress as it rides up, and walks over to them plonking down at the table next to Luke, across from the other two.

"What have I said about being a dick before noon, Napier?"

"You love it"

"I thought you were trying to insinuate I was a lesbian five seconds ago?"

"You can be both"

"I think the list of men I want to fuck is too long to have room for a whole other sexual preference" Again there was a beat before she realised what she'd said and the expressions on all the boys faces. She hung her head, massaging her fingers to her temples, "why can't my brain and mouth ever function as one"

"You must be pretty bad at blow jobs" Jack, being the asshole he'd decided to be this morning, practically giggled "which must be annoying what with you being a secret slut though" _Why? Why when I'm hung over and unsure whether I like him or not? I can see this conversation going somewhere I don't want it going right now and I certainly don't have the capability to deal with it like this._

"I'm not a slut; I've only slept with-..."

"Oh go on, what's your number"

"No"

"Don't go all blushing virgin on us now, we all know you're not. There's at least that one guy, Sam?"

"Steve"

"See, now all you have to do is say the others"

"No"

"C'mon. We'll tell you ours"

This was not going away, Jack was in an asshole mood and Luke seemed to be there too this morning, "two"

"Two?!"

"Two" she nodded "Just two... Steve Harris and Nathan Mikaelson"

"No fucking way. There's at least four other guys I know you've slept with"

"I haven't" she said adamantly "and why would you know who I've slept with"

"You're the sort of girl people brag about if they've slept with"

_No you're not,_ a dark part of her mocked, _you're not Marnie _"Whatever your popular friends have said, the ones who lie all the time because they only care about appearances and looking good to other people and doing everything society and stereotypes expects of them have said, it's just two"

"Okay, fine. But that still raises the question of who are all the many guys you said you want to sleep with?" he smirked, he knew he wasn't getting an answer but he liked to jab anyway. She literally just glared at him.

Apparently Dan had taken pity on her because he'd been absent from the conversation to make coffee and placed the largest mug down in front of Haley. "Thanks" she smiled up at him just as Dean and Poppy simultaneously rose. Haley rolled her eyes, _of course Poppy wasn't there to stick up for you but she wakes up especially for the coffee._

"If anyone says _good_ morning before I get a drink of that coffee, I'll beat you with a frying pan" Poppy just grumbled as she reached for a mug.

* * *

><p>The plan was that they'd each go home to get showered and changed, and meet back at Donnie's around twelve for breakfast, which only gave about forty minutes allocated time for the changing and showering. After Donnie's they all end up back at Luke's again because, as the girls learn, his parents are away vacationing in Tunisia with his little sister and left him behind so he 'didn't miss any school'.<p>

So they spend the rest of the day on the wii or x box or play station or whatever it's called, watching a movie and playing 'cards against humanity'. None of them will voice the opinion that they actually had more fun just hanging out than they did at the party the previous night – though it _was_ a good party.

By seven they decide they probably will go to that party everyone's been talking about at the Wayne Manor, there had been a charity ball held there for the 'Wayne Foundation' the night before, which meant the night after there was lots of left over booze and usually a party. And everyone knew a Wayne party was essentially the closest real life got to a 'Gatsby Party', (a couple have even gone down as being a wee bit better).

So they all go home to get ready for the second time that day and Haley and Poppy call Marnie because she'll probably be there and she says she's getting ready with her friend Ari. Poppy picks up her 'special-occasion' make-up bag and party dress and they head to Haley's to get dressed.

Poppy had a surprisingly classy looking little black dress, which had a lacy overlay in a skater dress style, with mid-length sleeves and cut out sides. The skirt fell beautifully and it fitted her like a glove and highlighted her petite figure. She'd done her make-up to perfection and also weirdly classy. She then kind of ruined the whole classy pattern with the most obscenely high heels Haley had ever seen on a woman, and you should see some of her moms 'work shoes'.

Haley was wearing a dark navy high necked, long sleeved fitted dress that was mid thigh and made her look hot as hell. Poppy had talked her into buying it when a guy had gone into a comatose state when she'd tried it on in the store. It was classified as the 'kind-of-classy-but-mostly-just-sexy dress', that was tight enough it'd be unforgiving on anyone who didn't have the perfect figure – which Haley coincidentally did, and therefore made her look gorgeous in.

* * *

><p>"I don't think I'm physically prepared for the event that I run into Bruce Wayne" Haley suddenly panicked as they walked up the drive to the manor itself. <em>Yep, definitely looks like a Gatsby party<em>.

"You'll probably cum on the spot, your that conditioned from your 'alone time' with only the thought of him" Poppy giggled, she had an oddly deep laugh for her appearance, more like a rich chuckle. "Besides you said that last time we came to a party here, and you didn't see him then either. It's a pretty big event, and you know you wouldn't want to be reduced to one of his high-pitched drooling adorers Hales"

"I feel you may be underestimating my love for Bruce Wayne and overstating my pride and self-worth"

"Well if you are reduced to your knees, you're in for a treat, I hear it's not just his money and good looks he's got to be cocky about" She managed to say it in such a way it was dripping with sex and yet not overly emphasised. With a last departing wink Poppy heads for the handsome stranger through the crowd to their right, and Haley heads for wherever the closest store of alcohol is.

Three hours later and she's decided this is the best party she's ever been to, she barely knows anyone yet she's dancing in a games room on a pool table with a bunch of randoms, and the _atmosphere_. The music is perfect - the dancing can't really turn into dry humping or jumping but it's hot; the booze is the good stuff and almost makes you want to savour it, every face is lit up with the biggest grin instead of half of this sea of people looking like they're about to be sick or go to sleep, the room itself is bright and light and open, they're not just a bunch of teenagers drunk off their faces in a dark room with people throwing up and fucking in equal measure in every shadow. They're alive, and they're young.

_Gatsby, eat your heart out._

She jumps down and makes her way to find more alcohol and maybe a bathroom but somehow ends up instead in some kind of study. There's a desk, and a giant window and books; _lots_ of books.

She looks at the leather bound spines and realises there's first editions of classics in here; she could practically smell the history of them. _Mr Bali would be in heaven, he'd almost been an English teacher_.

She hears the door open behind her and suddenly feels overcome, she's not sure what she's feeling but its all encompassing, like she shouldn't be in here. She turns. _HolyMaryMotherofJesus. Is that?... That's Bruce Wayne. That is Bruce Wayne. That is the man of many your dream and dirty fantasy. That is the man you've never met and who doesn't even know of your existence that you've had mental sex with. God you're a creep Haley._

"I'm so sorry" she moves to exit but realises he's kind of in her way.

"What for?" he asks light heartedly, a charming smile on his face.

"I don't know, because it's rude to randomly wander around people's houses and you've just caught me and I'm drunk... Not that I was intentionally snooping, I just sort of ended up here, you throw really good parties"

"Thanks"

"Should I leave, can I leave, please. I'm about to do something embarrassing like call you sir"

"Only if you want to" He says it in a way that is totally going in her spank bank, but looks as though he didn't mean for it to sound that sexy.

"Right..." She realises a second too late that she's staring and looking him up and down, "Oh my god, please excuse the fact I just checked you out. I shouldn't be held responsible really when you look like that, you're literally one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen" she blushes, "and I'm not flirting with you, not intentionally and please just say something so I won't try to"

"I get the distinct impression you're not usually like this"

"And I get the distinct impression you're a pretty good judge of character" she nods seriously.

"There's an exception to every rule"

"That kind of seemed like you were implying I really am the ditz I appear to be and your judgment of me not being that way was wrong, which is kind of rude"

"See the usual ditz's wouldn't say something like that" he smirked

"Now I can't tell if that was just some sort of test, is this because I'm blonde?"

"Just because you're beautiful and blonde shouldn't really affect my judge of your character"

"Are you drunk Mister Wayne?"

"A little. Please don't call me that... Especially not when I don't even know your name, miss"

"Haley" she shakes his hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you, even given the circumstance," she inclines her head with a smile, before meeting his eyes "I am sorry for everything that drunk me does or says, I have no filter"

"I won't hold it against you"

_I wish you'd hold something against me, _"how gentlemanly of you"

"It would seem that way, yeah" they'd kind of gravitated towards each other and she feels really cliché but she also kind of really want to kiss him. She swallows. "Do you want a drink?" he says suddenly, stepping towards a cabinet beside them that holds a decanter of whiskey that probably cost more than the whole outfit she's wearing.

"I probably shouldn't"

"Do you mind if I do"

"Dear lord you really are a gentleman, and I've been told you were a dying race... of course you can"

"Its girls in dresses like yours that make us want to do un-gentlemanly things" he smirks charmingly and takes a sip of his whiskey.

"You really are a smooth bastard" she smirks back.

"What can I say? You're one of the girls in the dresses like that" he shrugs with a chuckle

"What a way to make a girl feel special" she chuckled, somewhat sarcastically.

"You seemed a little affronted by the familiarity"

"I'm all about mixed signals" she shrugs jokingly, "but a girl likes to feel special" she added more seriously.

"I think you do that all on your own"

"I dunno you're pretty good, makes me feel all tingly inside"

He gives her a look that says 'tingly where?'

_In the paces that just bottomed out and melted_, "And how would you feel if I kissed you?"

"I don't know," she whispers against his lips, _capable thought is pretty much lost to me right now._

And he does it, he actually kisses her, and she tastes the expensive whiskey on his breath and something else that is so addictive. He's really very good at this, past the point of well practiced to where he's actually trying to make her feel good and its fucking working. This is not what you expect of a man who is God's gift to women, he doesn't need try or be good at this, _but he is. _He is really too good at this.

Then his tongue does this thing and something is shattering. _Is that the earth?_

This somehow progresses to her being perched on the desk, dress riding up and her hands in his hair, while his are on her thigh and waist. Then the one on her waist is fisted in her long thick wavy hair and he's kissing her neck now and _JESUS FUCKING CHRIST._

* * *

><p>Obviously he becomes number three and she has to say it was her best.<p>

"Oh God, I just had sex with Bruce Wayne, I'm that girl" she rolls her eyes after they're finished and he laughs.

"You'd probably be surprised if I told you how uncommon that is"

"Don't play the virgin with me; I've just layed witness to your skill, no ones _that_ good at anything on their first go"

"No, but I haven't had hundreds of women either"

"Again with the making a girl feel special"

"I think I just made you feel pretty special" he joked.

She chuckled in response "If you were anyone else that would've sounded cocky"

He grinned.

"But you're not" she smiled warmly, as she walked out she called back over her shoulder "And that's how you make someone feel special"

* * *

><p>Back at the party she finds Poppy dancing on a table top with another girl Haley's almost certain they don't know. She's about to walk off and leave her to it but she feels a finger graze the skin under her dress, just under her ass, "nice dress" she hears Jack's voice in her ear.<p>

Before the end of the night she sees him wrapped around Marnie again.

* * *

><p><em>Disclaimer: I don't own anything<em>

_I imagine Bruce as Christian Bale but with the comic's Bruce's blue eyes. And for people who didn't like the BxH, they're not gonna suddenly start dating and he's not gonna become a huge part of this, but I think we can all admit that B-man would be beyond good at the sex._

_And I know me asking probably won't make you want to review, but I need some reassurance guys. We need some interaction. I already churn these chapters out pretty fast but with some feedback I really think they'd be better if I had some idea what you want or like or whatever. Love it or hate it please just tell me._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

The next morning Haley wakes up in her own bed, it's a Sunday and she has to work a long shift because the Diner's not open all day so they have the staff on for the whole time.

She rolls onto her other side and tucks the pillow under her more comfortably, just catching her alarm clock out of the corner of her eye. _Crap_. She's only had four and a half hours sleep and yet she's still going to be late for work, which starts at eight. She sits up and rubs her eyes seeing her dress on the floor next to the small pile of books and magazines (with Bruce's face on them) and her biology textbook.

_Wasn't a complete waste of a night though, _she can't help but share a smile with herself, _Poppy certainly wasn't wrong with the rumours about his size either..._

_Work, you have work, Haley. _

So she gets up, wraps herself in a robe because it's getting cold out, and pinches her brother's toe as she walks past the couch on her way to the kitchen and his foot is hanging over the edge because she's his sister and gets a kick out of annoying him like that. She makes herself a strong coffee and a bowl of cereal, somehow managing an apple, yoghurt and a banana as well in the short time she has before leaving the house and still makes it on time to work.

There she sees Poppy, who NEVER works Sunday, sometimes Haley will miss a week, but Poppy misses _every_ one. "What's up buttercup?" she grins as she nudges her friend as they both lean on the counter and wait for customers.

"I'm hung over. You were there last night, why so cheery?" She scowls.

"You know the host who I've had a slightly embarrassing crush on for... ever?" she gives her a mockingly serious look, complete with a squint, "Yeah well I may have met him and embarrassed myself in front of him and ended up sleeping with him..."

"No" Poppy's reaction face is the sort that needs to be taken a picture of.

"Yep"

"Well he certainly knows how to throw a party. Lucky Haley" Poppy clearly can't actually process this information right now and seems to be on her form of autopilot.

There was a pause.

"Was it good? Was it fucking amazing? Was he huge? Did he live up to your crazily high expectation? I bet he's charming as fuck. Do pictures do him justice? _How_?!"

"He _was_ fucking amazing, the dude surpassed even my expectation, and rumour," she gave Poppy a pointed look at that "He was smooth as fuck and charming and all gentlemanly but he wasn't really that forward and playboy-y either. And the pictures do him justice, but he's still so much hotter in real life" speech fast, grin as wide as her face.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you had sex with Bruce Wayne! I'm so proud," Poppy laughed.

"You did what?" Marnie gawped from the door, where she'd just walked in with Jack, Dan and Dean.

Haley and Poppy shared a comical wide eyed look, "Oh you know... I was just kidding"

"Poppy Sharpe, you are possibly one of the worst liars in all of existence" Marnie laughed.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to Haley. Haley was embarrassed, _so embarrassed,_ but she wasn't sure why. Obviously Poppy had read her and that made her question how obvious it was or was it just due to their knowing each other so well. _Why would you care that they know you had sex? Your friends with a bunch of teenage guys, these sorts of conversations come up a lot, and you had sex with your biggest crush - a _celebrity_. Shouldn't you be joking and half-bragging?_

Then her eyes caught Jack's and she got her answer. _Because of him._

So she forced everything she knew she should be feeling and plastered it across her face. She massively enjoyed last night, she doesn't regret it and Jack shouldn't have this hold over her. _For God's sake he had sex with Marnie last night; you should be bumping fists and calling the others all names... Or would you just do that with Dan? What's the procedure in this situation?_

"Well, well, well. Our Haley-girl has finally made it to the lucky number three" Dan laughed, lifting his arms like he was calling for celebration. "Was it as fortunate as the number implies?"

So she overdoes her eye roll and looks bashful "Well..." in a way that clearly implied a positive. Dan grinned in response.

"Should've known when a guy like him saw her she'd be dusting out the cobwebs" Jack smirked, _great he's gonna be an asshole again. So that's how this is gonna be. _"How does it feel being Bruce Wayne's latest conquest? Well... at least a very recent one?"

"Pretty good - no STD's, good sex, can say I've slept with a famous guy, one who just happened to look as good as Bruce Wayne does"

"Like the four hundred women before you, yeah, you must feel pretty good"

She almost smirked, _Bruce _had_ made me feel special, and he'd said there weren't hundreds of others and I'm going to choose to believe him _"I don't even care; at least he knows how to make a girl feel good. Which I'm sure is more than most of you guys' past conquests can say"

"Ohh, low blow Hales, low blow. Right in the manhood" Dean joked and from there they managed to move on.

* * *

><p>On Monday morning Haley is begrudgingly making her way to biology class, where she fully expects to be met with the sour looking prune that is Violet Foreman's face, but is pleasantly surprised with instead being greeted by the jolly round one of Dr. Stanley, who teaches a few doors down. He hands her a worksheet on her way in before telling the class as a whole that the Foreman was taking a personal leave of absence for the next couple months, and for today they would not have a substitute teacher as they were unable to find one on such short notice, so were instead expected to complete the given worksheet in the lesson, under 'normal classroom conditions'. He also added he'd check in on them and expects to mark their work at the end of the class – which basically meant you can't leave until I've seen proof you've done some work at the end of the lesson.<p>

So naturally ten minutes later, Jack and Haley had finished the allocated work, and had quickly resorted to annoying each other, which evolved into joking and laughing and getting along as great as they had before he'd been properly introduced to Marnie and her lady bits, and Haley catches herself go all tingly and buttery inside. _No Haley._

This then merged into break, as Dr Stanley had given them a detention for disruption, as every time he had come into check on the class they were apparently making quite the 'ruckus'. Again, he left them unattended, which meant that their antics just continued for a further twenty minutes. Jack even walked her to class as he finished a story about a prank he'd pulled on Dan involving a condom, wood work tools, glue and a lot of imagination. So she goes into history and takes her seat next to the window again, when Dan sits next to her and he's practically buzzing in his seat. "Hi"

"Hey"

"Hey"

"What's the matter, are you high again?"

"What? No. Can't a guy just be happy to be sat next to his favourite girl?" he grinned.

"Not that kind of happy" she gestured to him.

"No you're right this is the kind of energy you get from the best friend of Jack Napier after he finds out Jackie boy has a girlfriend, like a proper one."

"You sound like you're in middle school"

"But it's _Marnie_. And it's Jack... And it's probably been that long since he's had a girlfriend, and that was back when if you held a girls hand it was essentially a marriage proposal"

"Ha ha" she chuckles, but it falls short. Dan barely notices.

"I just saw her and she said they were together, and it sort of became official last night" He carried on and made excited gestures and grinned and laughed and Haley literally just zoned out.

Then being the saviour that he is, Mr Bali walks in and says they're going to do the mini exam he'd told them to study for to see where they're at. Which Haley literally just reads as an opportunity to sit silently and have to focus on one thing – that doesn't involve Jack Napier - for an hour, _Mr. Bali you are a godsend._

Afterwards is math, and she only has Poppy in that with her, who was another welcome distraction from both the lesson itself and the Napier-Bernard union. It was nice to spend time with her best friend alone for an extended period of time - even in the environment of a math classroom - since they hadn't done it that often since their group merger with the guys. They chatted more in detail about the Wayne Party and how in the end Haley had ended up saving Marnie's friend Ari from a series of disastrous events during a bad trip and eventually took her home with some help from Bruce's butler, Alfred.

"Oh my god, he sounds hilarious!" Poppy chuckled.

"He is literally the sassiest wise-man I've ever met," Haley nodded.

Somehow this conversation progressed to a deep and weird heart to heart revolving around their lack of love lives.

"Are you in love with Jack?"

"No" Haley laughed, "I think I like him a lot but I'm not yet at the point of wanting to have his babies" Poppy's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"In the event that babies happen, I call godmother"

"It goes without saying; I don't like anyone else enough for them to be godmother... Apart from maybe Dan or Dean..."

"You should just marry one of them; life would be so much simpler"

"I could have half Irish babies or Dean's cuddles everyday"

"He is a pretty good cuddle"

"What about you and Luke though, your 'american horror story' crush die in the diner bathroom or something?"

"No... I actually really like him, like really like him and I don't know how to deal with that. Plus he's being a bit of an asshole recently and doesn't give a shit about me. He literally just talks about girls he likes in front of me like we'd never been together."

"I don't think you're allowed to hold ideas of deep romance when your first time together was a quickie in the bathroom of the Diner where you work. That goes for staking a claim to him as well"

"I know, but it's just courtesy"

"Guys have a bro code and other than that don't seem to own a moral compass"

"I feel you may be projecting the values of our two particular male centres onto the whole of their species"

"This is true. But maybe you should, oh I don't know, show him you're not just a giant slut and do have feelings and maybe he'll take them into account" sarcasm dripping, accompanied with an over exaggerated eye roll.

"That's a long shot and very overly optimistic for you. Been watching a lot of rom-coms recently or is it just that billionaire dick does that to you?" Poppy smirked and it was wicked.

"You are terrible, like the things that come out of your mouth need to be bleached and fumigated just to be allowed to be said in a school environment. And yeah it may be overly optimistic but you've got to start somewhere, I mean for God's sake even I can barely tell you still like him so I don't see why he'd have any indication to act accordingly"

Poppy just gave a nod and an indulgent smile, "I love you"

"This is why people think we're lesbians, giving each other soft eyes and making declarations of love in the middle of algebra"

"Say it back"

"It goes without saying"

"Say it back"

Sigh, "I love you too, Puppy"

* * *

><p>After math, she'd gave Poppy the quick rundown of the reason she was avoiding everyone for today and decided to make an escape to the shop round the corner for lunch so she could buy some candy.<p>

She then arrived back at school to find that Poppy had gotten around to having that talk with Luke, and had decided to spend the rest of the afternoon 'talking'. She then also discovered that the other guys had all decided to skip last lessons and go for a smoke, as it was double gym and they'd prefer a smoke. Leaving her for two hours alone with just Marnie, all their other female friends tended to skip as well because the sport and sweat didn't mix well with their hair.

So just her and Marnie then... As well as, of course, all the other participants of gym class who they weren't close friends with. Meaning it would look awkward if suddenly Haley wanted to buddy up with them over one of her best friends. _Shit. I'm trapped._

She could've skipped but that would have been petty and cowardice and it was just Marnie, one of her closest friends, whom she'd known and adored for years.

* * *

><p>"Get ready! Go!" Miss Pollock, the eighties-weightlifting-champion-turned-gym-teacher, squawked. Pollock was a beast of a woman, broad and stocky and permanently red faced.<p>

Haley watched as the runners went, and Ava Wallace – her marginal woman crush – went powering around the track, running the spirit out of the girl in second who was a good 100m behind her. They didn't really do much in gym class, mainly just watched the actual athletes train and pretend to have a stretch out on the grass. Apart from the days the principle was showing school inspectors around and they needed to look like they were doing something. "You girls" Pollock pointed to the group sat on the grass beside her "Jog" - Like today for example.

So they jogged around the perimeter of the field.

"Haley, I know we haven't really properly talked in a while, but I really want to tell you something" Marnie began, breath not even marginally laboured and accent as beautiful as always. _I think I'm actually starting to dislike this girl... _"I'm with Jack, as in boyfriend-girlfriend together" She seemed nervous. _Why the hell would Marnie Bernard be _nervous_ telling me she has a boyfriend, one I've walked in on her having sex with, for God's sake._

"Oh wow, that's great. You seem to really like each other" _Am I forcing the shocked-but-supportive-friend thing a little too much there?_

"I just wanted to check no weird feeling with you" _why has her English gone weird? Is this what she's like when she's nervous? I feel like I should catalogue this it's so rare._

"Why would there be?"

"I don't know... I just get the feeling theres something there between you two, like you have some sort of history or something"

"We were friends a long time ago when we were like eight, but theres no deep connection there Marn"

"Mmm, he just seems different around you I guess - sometimes less moody... And I see the way you look at him"

"There's nothing in the way I look at him, we're friends" _that definitely sounded a bit defensive._

"Try telling that to your face"

_Dear Lord, could this get anymore middle school? _"Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? I don't have my hands down his pants and until I do would you just drop it"

"What do you mean 'until you do', are you planning on it or something? And how can you call me ridiculous, I'm sorry I'm defensive about my boyfriend" the way she spat 'boyfriend' was like a well aimed (fiery and poison tipped) arrow going for the jugular. They were slowing to a standstill on the jogging front by now. _This is really stupid; it was a figure of speech._

_You should probably be saying that aloud._

"It was a figure of speech of course I'm not going to do that with the guy you're dating! I'd never do that to anyone, never mind my friend"

"Are we even still friends? Don't think I haven't noticed how reluctant you are to spend time with me all of a sudden"

_Okay, that one is totally true. I got nothing._

"I don't know, I'm sorry I've been distant"

"Why can't you just admit that you want him and that you're jealous he chose me?!"

_This is what it's like to be in one of those soap opera-esque bitchy arguments._

"Stop making out I'm in love with him"

"Maybe you are"

"Fuck off, you're being ridiculous. I can say, hand on heart" she raised her hand, the other on her chest for emphasis "I'm not in love with your sorry excuse of a scrawny boyfriend, who'll probably cheat on and dump you before the week is up"

**SMACK.**

_Did she just hit me?_

Pain. A LOT of pain. _Yep, bony knuckled bitch just punched me._

* * *

><p>So Haley finds herself outside the principal's office - Marnie already in there, probably crying and making Mr Hale wildly uncomfortable with feminine shows of aggression and over emotion and mildly fabricated stories. After the girls had been torn from each other kicking and screaming (more like punching and cussing) they'd been dragged here and kept separate, with Marnie being taken in for questioning first.<p>

A few seconds later and the door opens and a scowling Marnie emerges. She directs a death glare Haley's way as she passes and theres the promise in her half-swollen eyes that had they not been being overlooked by the principal she'd just wept and tried to claim the pity vote from she'd have tried to scratch Haley's eyes out with her perfectly manicured nails. There is no retaliation as Haley does not rise to the bait. She'd been sat in this cold, quiet corridor by herself for a good fifteen minutes, the fire she'd had had extinguished as she'd zoned out on that seat. Not having a chance to rant and stay caught up in the momentum of the fight had killed the adrenalin and now she was just kind of tired and disgusted by the fact she'd come to physical blows with her friend over a _guy._

_So much for sisters before misters. Ah, feminism._

Sighing Haley makes a show of the effort it is to get to up before making her way into the office, and taking the seat that doesn't have Marnie's ass-print in it, that was slightly shabbier though clearly an improvement from the one she'd been on not a minute before outside.

Studying Mr Hale as he settles himself down in his own seat across from her she can't help but make the mental comparison to the principal in 'mean girls'. Though instead a nuggety pale man with a beard, he has the same 'I'm out of my depth' approach when presented with a bunch of bitchy teenage girls. He looks on edge and as though he completely doesn't know the conduct of what to say or how to proceed right now.

"How's your day been Mr Hale?"

"Tedious. But we're not here to talk about me; we're here to talk about you and your fight with Miss Bernard"

"Sure"

He sighs, "How did it start?"

"Well the actual fisty-cuffs itself was started by her punching me in the jaw... But I have a feeling you mean what was the reason for said punch" at his conformational nod she proceeds "You see, Marnie seems to think I want to sleep with her boyfriend. Now between you and me I do kind of like him and I was friends with him first, but under no circumstance does that mean I have any intention of fucking-"

"Language"

"Snuggling with said boyfriend, she's my friend - one of my closest before today - and I wouldn't intentionally do that to anyone"

"She seemed to think you'd made it quite clear you had the intention of, uhm, snuggling with her boyfriend"

"In the heat of the moment I used the wrong figure of speech, I'm sorry that angry teenage girls slip up sometimes"

"You said the initial fight was caused by her punching you first, so why did you retaliate?"

"Because it means something when your best friend punches you, it means that they need this... And I grew up in shitty neighbourhoods, it's sort of become reflex that if someone punches you, you punch back"

"Right" he sighs, as though he almost sees the reason "I obviously don't condone what you did - either of you – but no further action will be taken. You're both pretty good students as far as this school goes and this is your first strike, so we're going to overlook it for now"

Haley nods and takes that as her que to leave.

* * *

><p>She'd had enough of gym today and feels she has the right to be excused, so Haley takes the ten minute shortcut to Donnie's, where hopefully they'll take pity on her and give her some ice so she doesn't go home looking as though she'd been in a more vicious fight than she had.<p>

"Shit, what happened to your face?" Sophie, the morning shift waitress, asked her eyes wide. Sophie was a purple haired, pierced and tattooed aspiring artist, about nineteen, who'd dropped out of school and therefore had a lot of time on her hands to work the early shift every week day. She was incredibly good, sometimes doodling on napkins and would leave them about for Haley to find and be unable to throw away, instead making up a bit of a collage in the storage room out back.

"Marnie. Marnie happened to my face" Haley grunted, suddenly very overcome with tiredness and certain emotions that weren't exactly positive. She'd just had a fight with Marnie. Over a guy. She'd had a fight with one of her best friends over a passing crush.

_Maybe he's more than that. Maybe you don't need her, now she's shown what she can be like are you sure it's that much of a loss._

Haley had seen Marnie's fiery temper and its consequences before, but never directed at her or Poppy. She was hot headed and quick to accuse but she tended to just make up some flimsy excuse about being French and move on. Haley couldn't recall a time she'd come to blows. _But man alive do her bony ass knuckles _hurt_._

"I'll get you some ice" the bright haired waitress nodded to herself and rushed off.

"Haley?"

"Mr Bali?"

He nodded and smiled kindly, his voice even kinder, as he gestured for her to sit down with him, "are you okay?" It should've been a stupid question - _just look at her face_ - the answer is a negative and anyone else would've received a brush off shrug and a 'fine'. But the way he said it, there was so much kindness and meaning in those three words, she'd never been exposed to someone so nice before, _how the hell did this guy end up in Gotham._ She trusted this man and she didn't even know his first name.

Water immediately sprung to her eyes. _Don't cry. You don't cry. Why are you crying?_ Alarm bells are going off in her head and she slumps into the seat across from him.

"I just had a fight with a really good friend of mine, over her boyfriend... I know this sounds so dumb and high school, I'm sorry"

"Not at all. If someone is sad, whatever the reason, it cannot be stupid"

She inhales and looks down, just as Sophie brings over the ice and places it next to her "thanks" comes her watery reply. She puts the pack over her cheek and wishes it would just numb everything.

_**Don't**__ cry._

"I really think I like him... More than any guy before. But I promised myself I'd never fight with a friend over something like this and it was like she just turned on me suddenly, one minute she's trying to be nice, the next she's all accusatory, and then... She hit me. One of the people I've been closest to in the whole world for the past few years and the whole thing came apart with a few aggressive words and a punch. I was _so_ angry... Now I'm just disappointed"

He had this way of looking at her that she completely couldn't fathom but didn't feel at all defensive about. He looked like he understood.

"I had a friend, now he was my closest friend, we grew up together - we chased the same girls, broke the same rules, ate the same food, everything. But this was back in India. And when I fell in love with an American who'd come to visit our town for research for a charity project, my now beloved wife Emily, and I made the decision to follow her back here... He was furious - more so than both my parents and entire family combined. He thought I was leaving him and choosing some girl over him. Even after everything, the girls before her who we'd never let part us, he thought I was choosing her over him... And I was, but sometimes love is worth it"

"Sometimes it's just a crush though, sometimes stories aren't that romantic and perfect"

"Do you want to know the end of my story?" he asks softly, a sparkle in his eye as they meet hers. She nods.

"Many years later when Emily and I returned to my hometown, to complete her charity project, I saw Isir again. He welcomed me into his home, where I met his wife, and son and daughter. He said he forgave me, and took back every bad word ever said between us. Said that he was young and didn't understand at the time, but he did now, love is something to be cherished and fought for, because it is so rare and beautiful a thing... We have been friends ever since"

"Yeah?"

"Yes, so I want you to know that if she is a true friend, you will be able to forgive each other, and move on"

"Thanks" she sniffed, "it's probably a whole load of bull. But it means a lot"

He laughed at that, one that came from his toes and was hearty and warm. "No, no. I never lie, but it doesn't mean this boy is your Emily, but hopefully your friend is your Isir"

"It's more likely that the boy is my Isir in this situation"

"Daniel?"

"Oh God no, we're like a brother and sister but who sometimes make sex jokes about each other... No, it's Jack"

"Ah, of Napier fame"

"That'd be the one"

"He has quite the reputation"

She exhales and it's somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, "yeah... But he's a little more than that"

"A love that is rooted in friendship is both the most delicate and strong of all"

"Is that a quote from someone?"

"It was on some period drama Emily likes to watch from the other night"

They both share a laugh at that.

"Thanks, this has been... weird"

"But insightful?"

"I've certainly learned something, whether it's if I still _want_ to be friends with Marnie or not is not one of them... But at least if she's a 'true friend' then the universe will fling us back together, right?" she's half sarcastic and half wanting to believe him.

He nodded with a smile, "I'll see you in class, Miss Quain" before leaving.

* * *

><p>A few minutes later when Haley is walking home she see's Jack across the street, outside one of those fancy mob holes, like a classier version of the place her mom works. He's lighting up a cigarette and looks pretty tense. The familiar irked-teenage-boy sort of tense, typically demonstrated by a scowl and hunched, closed in body language by every male of the generation. He looks up from his cigarette once it's lit to look around and she notices his eyes land on her. So she bites the bullet and walks over.<p>

"Hey, what're you doing outside a mob joint?"

He grunts something that sounds remarkably like 'family business'.

"And what's got you all in a grump?" The reply sounds much like the last. "C'mon Jack. Let's put a smile on that face" she grins in the way he had, echoing his words from a week before. He literally just glares at her. "I'm sorry I don't have any jelly snakes, if you weren't you I'd say we could work with yours but you aren't Dan so it'd just sound like I was coming onto you" she pulls a joking sort of 'damn' face, lips scrunched up at one side.

He raises his eyes to hers and they still aren't laughing, and she suddenly remembers that she has a bruised face from his girlfriend and he was kind of the reason. The thought sobers her and she looks down, "Never mind. See you at school J" and makes to walk away, but he straightens up and grabs her upper arm. As she turns back to him his expression hasn't changed and the furrow of his brow has deepened.

"What happened?" his voice is low, there's no care but it feels like a command to be answered.

"I got into a fight. You should see your girlfriend"

"What have you two got to fight about? Thought you were bosom buddies, did someone steal someone else's mask paint" by that she knows he means make-up. His voice is still low and even, he's not joking and he's still tense.

"She told me you two are together, and very quickly became a jealous psycho bitch because she thinks' there's something between us, more accurately that I want there to be, and proceeded to punch me"

His brow is still furrowed and his expression still hasn't really changed and it's getting to her. _React, Napier - friends just fought over you. At least make some sexist joke about how it would've been hot or something -_

"I only asked her out because of the thing with Bruce Wayne"

"What?" _well, this makes sense, thank you for that perfectly un-ambiguous answer._

"I just _do _things. I wasn't okay about you having sex with Wayne, so I fucked her to get it out of my system, then she wouldn't leave me alone for the rest of the night and we were walking home and she said something about how much you'd always liked him and I can't remember what I was thinking but I asked her out" his expression _still_ hadn't changed, brow furrowed, part-glare, part-glazed expression.

"Oh" she breathes and looks at the floor again, "I thought you really liked her"

"Remember when I said I'd thought of six different names before saying her in that weird conversation with the boys?" she looked thoughtful and nodded, "that was a lie, the reason I took so long to answer was because I was trying to think of any name but yours"

"JACK, get your ass back in here, your dad needs a word" A fat man yelled from the entrance to the joint. Jack finally met her eyes again and they lingered for a second before he lumbered off into the club, "you his girl, gorgeous, or you fair game?"

"I'm his" she said, still dazed.

* * *

><p><em>I will try to improve this, I just felt like I was taking ages to upload so this happened. Sometimes I can't quite translate what's in my head, because I see it as a movie scene and I feel like it all comes across really different than it's meant.<em>

_On a more positive note - thanks so much to my lovely reviewers, all of you are great, it really means a lot. Literally anything you guys say is good, even just seeing someone has taken the time to review or likes something (or completely hates it) really motivates me. Basically if you are reading this I'm a little bit in love with you. And is everyone okay with the OC's? Particularly like any? Want to see less of them? Oh and Jack will become a more prominent character and he'll be explored and expanded upon pretty soon._

_Disclaimer: not mine_


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